Prideland of Wolves
by Dustal Gray
Summary: What if Simba was never resqued by Timon and Pumba, but instead it was the wolves of Wolf's Rain? What if Kiba raised Simba in the jungle, and they went back together to reclaim the Pridelands? Maybe Paradise is here. Or maybe it's hell.  T for violence
1. Chapter 1

Night had fallen over the broken earth of the Desert of Bones. The soft light from the moon made the ground barrable to walk on; snakes came out of hiding to lie under the white glow to cool off their heat-stircken bodies; ants scampered out from cracks to search for the dead- to claim the corpse and give it to their Queen...

Kiba, a solid white wolf, lead the way across the dead lands for three other wolves: A light, orange-brown one, named Hige, a gray wolf with a white underbelly, named Tsume, and a young brown wolf named Toboe.

They were heading to Paradise.

Paradise...? It is a place where only wolves can find- a place shown to them by a lunar flower. Paradise is a world where all can be free and equal- no fear, no pain. But their Flower Maiden, called Cheza, was taken from them. So before they would be able to continue their search for the perfect world, they must first find Cheza.

But without its guidance, they wolves were lost: They wandered the Desert aimlessly, tongues hanging from their dry mouths, slowly dying by starvation...

...

The great king of Pride Rock had fallen- so, too, had the only heir to the land.

The Savanna lands were rich, beautiful places of wonder; fields of tall, firm grasses teemed along the edges of watering holes; perfect places for hunting, curring out the weak and the sick. Hills and valleys of greenery spread along the Pridelands, where zebras, girrafes, rhinos, elephants, and flamengos. But what dominated these animals- what watched over them, protected them- were the lions. Their judgement and power was respected the highest above all other animals. They made the rules, and one of the most sacred ones were to never go beyond the Pridelands were places where even the lions would not go; it was where all of the land touched by the ever-shadows in the sky.

In these Shadowlands, hyenas dwelled, along with the lions who had been Outcased by the Prideland King. For years, these animals were looked down on as savage and twisted. They were to be avoided at all costs, or death would surely befall them from the Outcasts.

But since the death of their king, the great Mufasa, the creatures of the Pridelands had to look up to one of the Outcasts, and accept him as their new heir. He was the King's own brother, named Scar. And when Scar arrived to the lands, he brought with him the other Outcasts, such as the hyenas and lions. Though the females lions of the past king rejected Scar, they had to bow to him as their own blood, and Scar became their king.

With the great lion Outcast as the new ruler, the Pridelands were destroyed, send spiraling into starvation. The newborns were born ill and thin, manly dying as quickly as they took their first steps. This forced the hunting group of lionesses to go beyond their land, beyond the Shadowlands, in search of food before the Pridelands get wiped out...

...

The heir to the Pridelands had escaped his guilts as quickly as it overwhelmed him; his uncle, Scar, had told him that it was his own fault that the great king, Mufasa, had died, and that he should run. So he obeyed: The young lion fled the scene where his father died trying to save him, planning to never look back.

He traveled the distance across the desert, leaving both the Pride and Shadowlands in the ashes on memory. He did not wonder about what happened to the Pride after he left; he only thought that they must be happy.

This young cub's name was Simba.

He walked for miles, eventually falling into a deep sleep of fatigue. In the sky, vultures hovered, licking their beaks for a feast. As they decended from the sun, they called hungrily together, lowering their heads, circling their prey.

But the young cub was saved by a warthog named Pumba, being rode by a prairie dog named Timon. This unlikely pair scattered the vultures, not even realzing they were feeding on a living Prince.

Regardless of species, the two animals were big-hearted enough to save the cub, carrying him to the shade of a tree, next to a small pool of water.

The prairie dog splashed the lion cub with water, waking him.

After a short introduction, the cub began to walk away.

Glancing at each other, surprised that the lion didn't try and eat them, the warthog and prairie dog silently agreed to save the odd lion called Simba.

But the wind stirred across the desert, making the cub raise his tired gaze to the sky. The scent on the wind was nothing he had ever smelled, and, instead of terrofying him, it filled him with a desire to discover the source...

...

In mid-tred, the white wolf Kiba raised a paw, his ears up. "Wait," he told the group, who stopped walking behind him.

The wolves sniffed the air, one more hungrily than the others.

"What am I smelling?" asked Toboe, the young brown wolf.

"Probably some dying animal." said Tsume, snorting in disgust.

"Hey, that's good news to me!" Hige said, his tail wagging. "Food is food, am I right?"

"No." Kiba took a step forward. "Whatever it is, it's alive. And coming closer."

"Maybe it's another Indian Tribe...?" said Toboe softly.

There was a pause. Each wolf too uncertain to continue towards the Unknown.

Shaking his head against the glare of the sun, the gray wolf said, "Let's just keep movin'. If we don't get out of this heat, we'll done for."

The wolves moved on.

...

Simba, his tail flicking behind him, ran ahead of the warthog and prairie dog, his eyes wide, eager, paws sliding against the cracked, hot ground.

"Wh-what do you smell, Simba?" asked Timon fearfully, hiding behind the ears on the warthog. "N-not another, l-lion, um, is it? N-not that that's a, uh, bad thing!"

After a few seconds, Pumba said, his nose snuffing the air, "I think it's time to go, now." The warthog slowly backed away from the lion, saying nothing. Timon did not stop him.

Simba looked over his shoulder, head tilted. "Where are you going..?" he asked.

"We, uhh..." the prairie dog didn't finish. His eyes widened in terror, small hands clutching the ears of the warthog.

Pumba seemed frozen, his mouth gaped open, legs trembling.

Simba, gasping, turned swiftly and faced what laid ahead.

...

Four pairs of yellow eyes widened in wonder as they studied the large brown pig and the large male cat. A flicker of movement caused them to look more closely at the brown pig, and they discovered a small rodent-like creature hiding on it's head.

Eyes narrowing, the gray wolf was the first to speak. "What the hell are you?" he asked, planting his feet into the earth.

"W-who..?" the young lion looked back at Timon and Pumba, then back at the large dogs. "Me?" When the dog nodded, Simba said, "I'm...I'm a lion. What are you?"

"We're wolves." said the white wolf.

"Kiba..." whispered the orangish-brown wolf to the white one. "Can we...eat..them...?"

Scampering back in fright, Simba began sputtering nonsense. "You dont- I'm not- I just-"

But without warning, the orangish wolf bolted past the lion cub, the gray wolf following, chasing after Pumba as he screamed and began to run.

"Relax." Kiba told the cat gently. "We're not going to eat you."

"W-why not..?" asked Simba, eyes wide.

"You smell weird." said the young brown wolf, seeming friendly.

"You're a scent unfamiliar to us," explained Kiba. "That boar and the rodent, however, is what we hunt best."

"But- But-" Simba felt tears gather into his eyes.

Kiba looked at Toboe, hinting a question.

"Were they friends on yours?" asked Toboe, his tail slinking between his legs.

"Well, no, but they-" the lion cub began to waver, his head spinning.

Eyes narrowing gently, Kiba walked closer to the lion and sniffed him, saying, "You're tired... Thin... I suppose you dont know where we could get food, do you?"

"Those other wolves are going to eat that warthog!" snapped the lion, his fur bristling. "Why dont you go with them!"

"I was going to," answered the white wolf. "But we'll need more than that if we're going to survive."

Simba stayed quiet.

"What is your name, lion?" asked Kiba.

"Simba..." answered the cub, not meeting the wolf's yellow gaze.

"We're hungery, you're hungery- why not come share that warthog with us?" asked Toboe suddenly.

Snapping his jaws at the young wolf, Kiba said, "You do Not invite strays to eat our kill!"

Ducking his head down, Toboe turned and muttered an apology before running off to find his friends.

"I'll just...go..." said Simba, backing away.

"Wait." Kiba stepped closer. "Why are you here? Do you not have a pack?"

"A pack?" Simba blinked. "No...we don't. We live in a pride. But I left..."

"Why?" asked Kiba.

But the lion cub began to run away, his guilt pressing his on.

Kiba snatched the cub by his neck-fur and began to follow the path Toboe took.

"Hey, let go!" cried Simba, swiping his claws at the wolf's face.

When Kiba arrived to the warthog, it was very-well eaten into. The gut was torn open, spilling darkly on the heated earth. The wolves gnawed into the kill, their faces dripping red. Toboe slunk to one side of the dead Pumba, dragging a length of gushing meat with him.

Seeing them, Hige, the orangish-brown wolf, looked over with disaprovement, and said, "Why's he here?"

Tsume looked up as well, and began growling.

Kiba dropped the cub and sat down, saying, "He has no where else to go. So I am taking charge of him. He will stay with us as our own until he is old enough to look after himself."

"I'm not a kid!" growled Simba, claws sinking into the ground. "I dont need your pack's protection!"

The white wolf looked down at the young lion, and he said, "If we leave you alone, you will die. Leaving us is your own death."

"I dont care..." said Simba, glaring at the wolf's white fur aroud his paws.

"I do." said Kiba, his tone harsh. He stood up and walked to Pumba, hunger pains awakening his desire to eat. Remembering the scrawnyness of the cub, he glanced behind him at the cub and said, "Come eat with me."

"I'm not hungery." spat Simba. His stomach growled, betraying him. With a sigh, he walked over and joined the white wolf, hesitating slightly.

Toboe, Tsume, and Hige- with their own pieces of meat- moved away, uncomfortable by the lion cub.

Kiba dug his face into the exposed neck of the warthog, and slung his head form side to side, the blood pouring into his mouth.

Simba nearly winced, disgusted, but he then realized savagery was probably the only way to survive...

...

When Scar first assumed the heir of the Pridelands, he promised the lions a world of peace and happiness, where all Outcasts and royal-blood would be equal. But the world became a rotting wasteland, where the grass was black and the only animals seen aside from lions were skeletons. Food was very scarce, and the lions would often complain directly to their new king. But Scar did not care.

Smiling from the den in the depts of Priderock, the dark-maned lion laid across a smooth stone, catching the stuborn eye of his brother's mate at every moment. She was to stay in his den at all times, due to being "his mate" now that Mufasa was gone. He had claimed her as her own, only a week after the death of her mate and son, Simba.

Her name was Sarabi.

Catching her eye now, Scar gave her a winning smile, a pur coursing through his chest. The lioness quickly looked away, her proud head high, eyes closed.

...

Along with her cub, Nala, a female lioness named Sarafina began proweling impatiently along the savannah, paws shifting the black dirt around the Pridelands. Around her, dozens of lioness lay quietly on the ground, either trying to sleep, or resisting the urge to attack the hyenas. Despite the growing lack of food, the hyenas seemed to be very fit, yet always hungery. With drooling mouths, they would joke cruelly about taking one of the lion cubs in their sleep. When one of the alarmed mothers reported this to Scar, he told the mother "they were merely joking, and you have nothing to worry about."

Aisde from the constant cackling of the hyenas, the Pridelands were silent. Glancing at them now, Sarafina shudders. These hyenas were going to be the end of them.

A blue bird with a white underbelly and orange/red beak (also known as the Red-billed Hornbill) named Zazu flew across the skies, drawing the attention of the lion cub Nala.

The young cub waves a paw in the air, crying happily, "Zazu!"

Eyes snapping open, Sarafina leaps onto her cub, hiding her with her massive feet, while in the sky the bird Zazu flies more quickly towards the den of the royal family.

"Hey, hey, hey!" calls out a loud, squeaky voice from the rocks. A Hyena walks down towards the lioness and Nala, teeth bared. "Didn't I tell you to be quiet?"

"Yeah!" agreed another hyena, sneaking over from behind. "Didn't he tell you to be quiet?"

A third hyena joined the duo, but instead of speaking, he merely began to laugh, his eyes rolling in his head.

Sarafina stood her ground, paws folding over her daughter. "We did nothing wrong." she said firmly. "Leave us alone."

The trio smiled wolfishly, fueled by the lioness' stubornness.

But for the surroundung lions, it was just another terrible day in the Pridelands. They had all learned by now to bare their pain, and just try not to repeat their mistakes.

It's all they could ever do...

...

"Ah, Zazu!" said Scar cheerfully, rolling onto his feet as the bird flew into the den. "So good to see you!" From the corner of his eye, Scar noticed his brother's mate, Sarabi, move towards the wall out of the way, avoiding his eyes. She sat against the wall, but still in sight.

Landing on a skull of a young zebra, the blue bird russled his feathers before saying, "I can't say I feel the same way!"

"So cold," moaned Scar, a smile on his dark lips, as if pleased by the bird's hatred. He passed a large paw across his head dramatically, continuing, "How can you say that to your King?"

Zazu swallowed hard, and quickly changed his mood. "Sire," he said, "I have a message for you from the rhino herd."

"And what do...the rhinos...say?" asked the King slowly, fingering a piece of bone from the den. The bone was sharp and deadly.

Swallowing again, Zazu said, "Well, sire, they seem to be...um..."

Scar, frowning, dropped the piece of bone and gave the bird his direct attention. He waited for the nervous bird to speak.

"D-dying out." finished Zazu at last. "There is only a dozen left- and if you ask me, Sire, I believ ethe hyenas have something to do with it!"

Scar laughed quietly: a deep, amused rumble. He slipped from the rock and padded over to the bird, laying an arm around his small frame. "Zazu," he said, smiling. He continued- with every word, his fingers plucking at his feathers; "Would, you, like, to-"

"Oww!"

"-know, a-"

"Owh!"

"-secret?" Between his fingers, two blue feathers slipped and fell to the den floor. Scar drew his face closer to the bird. "Hmm?" he said, provoking an responce.

From the corner of the den, Sarabi jumped out, walking over. "Enough, Scar." she told Scar loudly. "You have no reason to harm him."

Scar didn't look at her; he continued to caress the bird.

"Wh-what secret, S-S-Sire?" asked Zazu.

Leaning into the bird's ear, Scar whispered, "You're right; but not only are the hyenas going to kill off the rhinos..." His grip tightened over the bird. "They will kill off every living thing until only the great lions walk the earth..I as their king...!" He flung the bird away, towards the hole.

Frantically, the bird began to flap.

With a long face of coldness, Scar called after him, "When you're done telling them my message, come back. I have a surprise for you..."

Obeying, Zazu flew upwards before crashing to the ground, and he soared out, his body still crawling under his skin.

"Mufasa would have greatly disaproved." said Sarabi once the bird had left, sitting, eyes closed.

Scar turned to her, mouth open to mock her, but could not find anything to say. No matter what he did as the new King, no one could ever have been as good as his brother. And Scar knew this. Looking back outside, eyes scanning the dark, dying land, Scar frowned. In his blackened heart, all he could wish for now, is that Simba was truelly dead and gone.

A roar sounded from below, and Scar ran out of the den, snarling at Sarabi to "stay back!" before he made the hop down to the ground. When he saw a group of hyenas biting at one of the lioness, he let out a loud roar, scaring the hyenas into hiding.

Behind her mother, trembling, Nala poked her head out.

Sarafina, Nala's mother, looked up at Scar with grateful, searching eyes. She wanted to thank him, but...wasn't it his fault in the first place for bringing death upon them?

Frowning down at the lioness and her cub, Scar addressed the hyenas in a quiet voice. "Did I not make it clear that all lionesses' were not to be harmed...?"

Creeping out of their hiding places, the trio of hyenas looked up at Scar with wide eyes. "Uhhh, yeah, but I said-" started one of them.

"Silence!" yelled Scar. He lept down, confronting the hyenas. "Go!" he told them. "Release your anger on some of the lesser forms of life..."

"Oooh, you mean the rhinos!" said one of them excitedly, the hyena beside him nodding hopefully.

Scar smiled. "If that's what needs culling..." he said, trailing off with a glint in his eye.

Thanking Scar needlessly, the trio turned and ran off down the Pridelands, barking and yapping at eachother.

Looking from the hyenas to their king, the lionesses shivered from the intensity of Scar's cold face. Scar, looking back at the thin group of his pride, felt a sick guilt building in his chest. They were dying...How much longer would they survive? With a short growl, Scar lept back up to the den.

Sarabi watched him, opened her mouth to speak, but Scar strided past her without a word, and laid down, facing the opposite wall.

Back on the dead land, Sarafina licked Nala clean, telling her quietly to go to sleep. A deep sadness entered the young cub's heart, and she wondered privately if she was going to go to sleep hungery again...

...

The sun beat down over the glistening desert- sapping away the energy of all who tread under the heat.

But the wolves and the lion cub had moved on from the warthog, finding shelter in a tropical jungle. Sitting beside a pool, Hige wagged his tail at a fish swimming under the surface, while Toboe and Tsume loosened rocks from the rich soil, snorting up insects into their noses. The white wolf and the lion cub sat aways from the others beside a large, leafy tree. Around them all in the jungle, were dozens of flowers and toadstools.

"Aaahh..." Simba said, laying on his back. He licked the blood off his lips in pleasure, then glanced over at Kiba, who sat still as stone, eyes glazed over with an unrecognizable emotion. "Say," said the lion cub, rolling to his feet. "How come I havent seen wolves before?"

"I don't know." admitted Kiba. "I have never seen a lion, either."

Simba joined the wolf, sitting beside him. "So...are you really going to take care of me?" he asked slowly.

Kiba did not hestiate. "Yeah." he said. "I am."

"But why?" asked the little cub.

"You were lost. And you are young. I only plan to take care of you until you are old enough to protect yourself."

Smiling, Simba said, "You're weird..." When Kiba looked at him out of the side of his eye, Simba added quickly, "For a wolf."

"And you're large" said Kiba. "For a cat."

"Oh, I get bigger!" said Simba. "My father-..." Simba looked down. "I mean..." His tone changed into a sorrowful monotone. "Most of my kind grow to be twice as big as your kind...My dad was one of the biggest lions alive- he was the King..."

"What happened to him?" asked Kiba gently.

"He died..." said Simba moodily.

Judging the lion by his mood, the white wolf did not press for details. Looking ahead, Kiba watched as Hige jumped into the water, then came out, fishless and drinched. Hearing sudden childish laughter, Kiba's ears flicked back and he watched as Simba rocked back and forth in a fit of giggling. Looking back at the wolves, the only maybe-amusing thing he saw was Hige shaking the water out of his fur, wetting his wolf companions.

He is just a young cub, Kiba reminded himself. He must be taught. "When I was your age," said Kiba. "I was hunting for deer."

Simba sat up, his head tilting. "Wow, really?" When the white wolf nodded, the lion asked, "What's a deer?"

Kiba smiled.

Just then, Tsume walked over and laid down near Kiba, saying, "How long do we plan on stayin' here?"

"For awhile." replied Kiba.

"And we're takin' that kid with us?" snorted Tsume.

"If you don't like it, then you can leave." growled Kiba, ducking his head.

Tsume stood abruptly. "He's not even one of us, Kiba!" he barked. "How the hell do you think we can provide for it? Tch...It seems like you've lost your pride of a wolf this time."

Kiba's eyes widened in horror. Was he right? He watched as the gray wolf shook his head and walked off.

Blinking, Simba said nothing. He felt out of place, but he knew that the white wolf wouldn't let him leave. I guess I'll have to get used to it here, the lion told himself with a sigh.

Tsume walked past Toboe, who stood up and followed him with sudden interest, leaving Hige to swipe for fish in the pool.

Watching them leave, Simba wondered if they were going to come back...

...

"Oh, Pumba...Ooohh, how could I let them do that to ya?" Timon sobbed, leaning against the ruined face of his warthog friend.

At the last moment before the wolves had attacked, the prairie dog was able to escape and hide in a snake hole until the wolves had moved on. Timon had planned to attack the wolves with the help of the lion, and had hoped that all three of them could hide together in the jungle. But Pumba was dead, and they had stolen the lion cub.

The prairie dog whiped his eyes, snorting miserbly. He left the grisly scene after a few more moments of reflection, telling him a soft, "Hakuna matata." He walked towards the jungle, his heart hardening with every step, when eventually he stopped, fists clinched. He looked over at the corpse of Pumba, and said, "I will avenge you, my friend."

After he made that promise, he went into the jungle, running on all-fours like the animal he was...

...


	2. Chapter 2

7/25/10

...

Hige soon got bored with the fish in the pool, and so he began following the tracks of Tsume and Toboe, curious to where they were going, and eager to have an excuse to leave the odd scent of the lion cub behind.

But he became distracted.

He noticed an odd pink bird- but as soon as he did, it flew away. Taking up the challenge, Hige started to follow it, his head to the sky.

After a few minutes of this, Hige found himself back where Kiba and Simba had been. He watched them run through the jungle, chasing unseen things.

Feeling lonely, Hige looked around more closely at his surroundings.

It was then he realized how beautiful everything really was.

"We are here..." Hige mumbled, his eyes widening. "We're...in Paradise."

The orangish-brown wolf laid down contently, thinking.

That's why there are weird things like lions and jungles in the middle of a desert- we either died and went to Paradise, or we stumbled through the Gateway... Hige was satisfied with what he came up with, and so closed his eyes and fell asleep...

...

Padding quietly deeper into the jungle, the gray wolf- with a young brown one at his side- sniffed the air carefully, observing the hidden creatures around them.

They smelled heavily of fear.

"Hey, where are we going?" asked Toboe, the brown wolf.

"Away." replied the gray wolf roughly, fangs sticking out over his black canine lips.

"Are you angry?" ased Toboe gently, his curiosity made obvious by the slow wag of his tail.

Glancing hauntedly at the young wolf, Tsume spoke. "Yeah, how could you tell?"

"Well, I couldn't. Not really, anyway..." admitted Toboe. "It's hard to tell with you..."

Tsume snorted, his ears flattening on his head. "I'm always angry about somethin', runt." he growled.

"Are you going to leave the pack?" Toboe asked urgently.

Tsume didn't answer. His look was enough.

"Tsume, please don't go!" whined the brown wolf, jumping out in front of the gray one. "You just cant go! Wh-what about Paradise?"

Tsume looked away, his body stiff. "I never believed in Paradise."

"You're lying!" yelled Toboe.

Tsume closed his eyes.

Toboe waited nervously for the older wolf to speak, a near-silent whine hissing from his throat.

Opening his eyes, the gray wolf turned his attention fully on Toboe. "I'm not going to stay with a leader that brings a different species into the pack. It's not natural."

"But...Kiba..." the brown wolf mumbled. "He needs-"

"Look," Tsume said, walking past Toboe, who followed automatically. "You can stay if you want. But I'm out of here."

"But where will you go?" Toboe nearly shouted.

Tsume's ears flipped forward, and he said, "Shut up!" in a quick snap of his jaws. "I smell somethin'..." he added more quietly. To his left, the brown wolf began walking forward, sniffing.

As if on cue, both wolves walked forward, their heads low. They followed along a small stream, staying in the shadows of the trees.

They had caught a familiar scent of prey...

...

Timon had ran aimlessly through the forest, his breath shooting from his lungs as quick and forceful as a racehorse. He ran past dozens of beetles and flowers, each small object like a maze for the prairie dog. He became insane with the grief of his friend- paranoid, frightened, and over-heated.

So when he reached the small stream of water, he nearly fell into it with recklessness, his thirst wacking his hard in the gut.

...

Toboe trodded carefully over a beetle, his hind leg catching on a root. The young wolf stumbled into the gray wolf, who stepped on a stick, snapping it...

...

A sudden noise made Timon jerk his head up and look around, his eyes wide. There was silence. His heart beating faster in his chest, the prairie dog walked out into the small clearing, turning slowly...

...

The gray wolf towered over the brown one. "You idiot!" hissed Tsume quietly, his teeth flashing

Toboe said nothing, ducking down in submission with apologetic eyes.

Tsume looked back towards the stream, took a few more steps, then bent down on his legs, ears out. Toboe joined him, mirroring his position.

They waited for their prey to give away its position.- so they could strike once, and strike hard...

...

Timon shook his head, regaining his bravory. How could he cowar like this? He had to avenge Pumba!

He needed a weapon.

Striding over to a low branch, the prairie dog took on the look of a warrior, the purple bruises around his eyes deepening. He took the branch in his hands and broke it swiftly, that single sound breaking the heavy silence...

...

"Come on out, you mangey demons!" shouted their prey.

Toboe watched, his mouth dry, as the small rodent made a smooth circle, the stick held out like a weapon, ready to fight. How can this thing be so bold? Toboe wondered. The brown wolf snuck a glance at Tsume just as he tensed his legs, and prepared to jump...

...

Tears whelled in Timon's eyes as fear tried to smother him once more. But he quickly brought a paw up and whiped his tears, the stick lowering in his other hand for just a split second.

But when the prairie dog looked up, he didn't even have time to scream before the wolf closed its gray jaws around his neck...

...

Among the Outcast lionesss of whom Scar brought with him after the day Mufasa died, was a lioness named Zira. She looked up to any beast who held power in their grasp; she respected them, admired them. But when Scar came into power over the Pridelands, what she felt was not just general respect.

It was her obsession.

Looking up to him from the bottom of Priderock, Zira's mouth would become slack, frozen in a half-smile, half-gape of wonder. She was more than ready to take his orders to the ends of the world. But Scar never gave her any more attention than the others- side from Sarabi, Mufasa's mate.

She had seen Scar and Sarabi one too many times standing on the edge of Priderock, frowns on both of their faces- like an unhappily married couple. Yet they stood in the spot-light as if it were their own destiny to rule together.

But Zira wanted to be in the spot light, joined with Scar in power over the entire sweap of the Pridelands, and beyond. She understood why Scar wanted Sarabi as his own- so the Pridelanders would respect him more, seeing him having won the heart of Mufasa's own love: They would be put under the illusion that their king and queen were happy.

Surely Scar didn't really love Sarabi, though. Zira's fur stood on end at the thought. Scar only wants her for her power, Zira thought hastily. But I must show him that I can be just a powerful- or even more!- without a royal connection to the family.

But every time Zira tried to ask for a private aduiance with the king, the hyenas would laugh and not let her pass. They called her "low," and said that only important lions were allowed up- and only if Scar asked for them personally.

How was Zira going to get noticed? If she forced her way to him, he might order her killed.

With a soft, angry growl, Zira turned from the hyenas and snapped her jaws at the nearest lion next to her. It happened to be Nala.

Gasping, Nala huddled closer to a rock, alone.

This sparked a question in Zira's mind. "Where is your mother?" she demanded.

"She's hunting..." said Nala, her eyes tightening. She did not like the older lion. But she didn't fear her near as much as Scar.

Hunting... Zira's eyes widened. Of course! If she was able to get a large kill for Scar and the Pridelanders, surely Scar would want her instead of Sarabi?

Without another word, Zira turned and ran down the fields, her lips spreading into a dangerous smile. At the edge of the field, Zira stopped and glanced back at the Priderock. She hoped that Scar was standing on the edge, watching her.

"I will be with you soon, Scar," Zira growled to no one. "And you will realize we were destined to be rulers- together."

The Outcast lioness started running again.

This time, she did not look back...

...

Zazu arrived at the Rhino heards just minutes before the trio hyenas would. He approached the few dozen of horned beasts with a sad look in his eyes, landing on a dead tree to address them.

When they saw the blue streak soar across the gray sky, their ears went up, all ready to accept their relayed message. So when the bird landed, they gathered around, looking depressed. Their sides were sunken in, their mouths dry around the lips from slack from lack of water.

The blue bird ruffled up his feathers, then opened his beak. He said, "I...I have very, very bad news..."

The rhinoes nodded. They always expected the worse.

Zazu continued, his voice breaking. "Scar is planning to kill off each of you- for the sake of the Pridelands- so that the lions can live on in this wasteland."

"That is outragous!" cried a male rhino.

"How can he do this to us?" demanded another.

"What about our lives?" shouted a female rhino. "Don't we matter, too?"

"Mommy, I dont wanna die!" cried a young male.

This brought up loud wails from the smaller rhinos- even some miserble adults began to sob.

Zazu flapped his wings, saying, "Now, now- I..." Zazu hesitated. "Please, be quiet!  
he said after a brief pause. "I have a plan."

"What's the plan?" asked a very thin female.

"I think you all should run. Go beyond the Shadowlands, and seek out a haven." Zazu said. "Otherwise..."

"You mean, leave the Pridelands?" gasped a rhino.

"But this is our home..." said another sadly.

"But- the hyenas-" started Zazu.

"If it is Scar's orders that we die for the sake of the Prideland, then I am willing to do so." said a rhino suddenly.

A few seconds of silence washed over them. Zazu could smell their anxioty. But one by one, the rhinoes began nodding. They accepted their fate. After all, when they died, wouldnt their body return to the earth?

The bird sighed, his body swaying on the dead branches. He knew he could saw nothing to change their mind.

It was then when the hyneas appeared. And though Zazu flew up into the sky, screaming and shouting warnings, the rhinos did not move. They let the hyenas throw themselves into their massive necks, and pull away their organs. Zazu watched it horror as each one was butchered, mangled, and eaten- blood spilled out over the black land. Ironic nourishment for the dog-like beasts, flooding the ground, being wasted.

Their barks and yelps filled the air as the death-count for rhinos doubled. Eventually, each one was murdered- even the youngest of rhinos who stood trembling with closed eyes- and they all died for nothing.

Nearly crying himself, Zazu flew back towards the Pridelands, his heart swollen with hatred for Scar, and hatred of himself for not doing anything.

Then Zazu remembered that Scar mentioned a surprise waiting for him. What could it possibly be...?

...

Toboe's tail wagged faintly as he watched the gray wolf, who slung up the limp animal into the air, catching it, tossing it again. Blood spattered lightly on the ground, making Toboe's stomach growl in sudden hunger.

Tsume dropped held the kill in his mouth and walked forward aways, then began digging. After burrying Timon, he started walking the oppisite way.

Excited, Toboe said, "Hey, where you going this time?"

"Shut up and follow me." was all Tsume said.

The wolves walked deeper into the jungle, searching for nothing, or searching for everything.

Searching for Paradise, maybe.

Or searching for hell...

...

Simba ran along side the white wolf as they traveled through the jungle, their legs nearly matching each other's speed. They had been hunting for nearly an hour now.

Kiba was teaching the cub how to be stealthy- but he was getting more and more surprised whenever the cub demostrated the cunning of a lion.

It was only after Simba managed to take down a flying bird that had been hiding in the bushes, did Kiba let the lion cub rest.

Looking over at the white wolf, Simba said, "How did I do?"

"You are a true warrior." said Kiba earnestly, his head ducking. "I can understand now how a lion could be a king of all others."

Nodding once, Simba sat down, his claws pattering over the dead bird. "I am to be king too." said the lion quietly. "When I'm older. But I planned not to go back."

"What were you running from?" asked Kiba carefully.

"...I killed my father." said Simba, his head hanging. "The Pridelanders would never accept me after what I did."

"Did you murder him?"

Simba blinked and looked at the wolf. "What..?" he said, shocked.

"Did you kill him on purpose?" asked Kiba.

"Well, no..."

"Then they would understand." said Kiba, rasing his head to the darkening sky. "War is just a misunderstanding between two packs...They can be settled by reasoning."

"What if they cant?" Simba asked shly.

"Then we fight to the death, and hope we win." said the white wolf. "Nothing more."

Simba felt better about having told the wolf about his true identy. He felt like he could trust him, though he only knew the wolf for a few hours. Purring, Simba playfully swiped at Kiba's tail.

The white wolf watched him, disaproving, but silent. The cub still had a lot to learn before he could return to the Pridelands. But Kiba was willing to teach him, as he promised.

"Come on," he told the cub gently. "We should head back."

The lion stood and followed. But his walk was different. It was more...wolf-like, more cautious.

He carried himself, well, like a leader of a pack...

...

The young lion cub backed away from his uncle, away from his dead father, looking up at him with wide eyes. "What should I do?" he asked weakly.

"Run away, Simba." Scar told him, which made the young cub's face melt in horror. "Run, and never return." The lion cub turned and began running, not looking back.

Behind him in the mist, Scar heard the footsteps of the hyenas approaching. Without turning his head, he ordered them simply to "kill him." But a deep, heavy breathing made him wrinkle his face in confusion.

Turning, Scar found himself face-to-face with his dead brother, Mufasa, who's mouth was spread back in a savage look of loathing. Scar backed away in fear as Mufasa walked forward. Scar's green eyes widened.

"No, you're dead!" cried Scar, trembling on his feet. Backing away, Scar nealy fell off the edge of Priderock. Alarmed, the dark lion turned and wondered how he got here from the gorge. He looked back at Mufasa. "Please, I have so much to live for!" Scar begged.

"No, Scar. You have nothing to live for." corrected his brother.

And just as the greater king launched his fangs at Scar's throat, Scar awoke, swiping his feet frantically across the stone den, sweat blackening his sides. Either his claws scraping the ground, or the frantic sobs gasping out of his breath, woke up Sarabi, for she raised her head and looked at him, concern in her deep eyes.

Noticing her eyes on him, Scar met them, holding his breath in an effort to control it. He wore an expression of utter horror and pain, that Sarabi knew he must have had a nightmare. But she did not pity him; she made a soft noise of dismissal and looked away before closing her eyes and going back to sleep.

He let out his breath, his heart slowed his beating, and Scar felt only anger now. Even in his dreams, Scar believed he would never had expressed so much fear- or begged for his life- if that had really happened. So what did his dream mean? Scar noticed quite suddenly that, while thinking, he had been staring at Sarabi's smooth, warm body as she breathed, her sides rising, falling, so gracefully.

Moving his gaze from the sleeping lioness to the outside, he realized how late the night was. With a low growl, Scar stood up and felt the den in a quick walk, his skin bristling under his wet fur.

He needed answers.

And he was going to get the truth.

He climbed down the rocks, and towards the hyenas section of the Pridelands, singling out three of them among the hundreds that slowly ate up the world...

...

Zira had hunted all day to night for the greastest kill of the land. But she only saw rhinos, and also the hyenas approaching them. Clearly Scar had given them the order to kill off the remaining rhinos, so it would be a waste to bring one back.

No. She needed something new. Unique. Something that would catch Scar's eye of approval. Something...Otherworldly.

She needed to go beyond...

...

Hige was woken up by the sound of movement along the ground. Raising his head, he not only discovered the moon in the sky, but the myraid of stars that seemed to be watching him. Hige was lost for a moment, gazing up, until the same sound alerted his senses.

When the orangish-brown wolf looked ahead, he saw Kiba and the lion cub, walking side by side towards him. When they joined up, Hige stood and touched Kiba's nose forgivingly.

"We're here, Kiba..." he told the white wolf lazily with a smile. "We're in Paradise."

At the mention of Paradise, the white wolf frowned. "We would know if we are or not." he said. "I don't smell any lunar flowers."

Hige laughed and laid down. "Doesnt matter," he said. "We can stay here..."

Frowning again, Kiba walked past his friend and laid down beside a tree, saying, "Get some rest, Simba."

Simba walked over and laid beside the wolf. Slowly, so slowly, the lion cub moved closer to the wolf until he was against him. When Kiba neither bit or growled at him, Simba snuggled into the white fur, and closed his eyes.

Hige, watching them, gave Kiba a wink, then closed his own eyes.

Looking up at the moon, Kiba wondered where Tsume and Toboe had ran off to...

...

Zazu saw Scar running across the Pridelands, towards the rhino at a stunning speed. Should he continue to Priderock, or follow the lion? Follow, of course. He is the king, after all.

Changing his flight pattern, the blue bird flew over head, worry sickening his soul...

...

The hyenas had just finished licking the blood from their paws, claiming how easy their kills had been, when their King ran up, teeth bared.

At first, the trio backed away in fear, asking each other quite sharply, "What did you do?" but they stood side by side with nervous smiles, the blood drying quietly into dark clusters around their jaws.

"Uhh, what's up, Scar?" asked the first one.

Scar skidded to a stop in front of them, not even stopping completly before he barked out, "Where is Simba!"

"Simba?" repeated one of them.

"Didn't he run through the Elephant Graveyard...?" mumbled one of them, confused.

"Idiots!" shouted Scar, slicing a clawed-paw in the air, cutting their necks- but none of the fatally.

Backing away, they secretly wondered if Scar was trying to kill them. It didn't sooth their fears when Scar started walking forward, growling. His green eyes flashed dangerously.

"We-we killed him, Scar!" said one of them hurridly. "I'm sure of it!"

"He got away, didn't he?" snarled Scar, his eyebrows arching.

"Well, yeah, but there's no way he could make it across the desert-"

The dark King sprang forward, pinning the hyena down who spoke. "_Beg_ for your pathetic life!" he growled. "I gave you three orders to kill Simba, did I not?"

The two other hyenas glanced at each other, their bodies lowering to the ground in submission.

"Yeah- S- Sc-" babbled the pinned hyena.

"That's _King Scar_!" corrected Scar angrily. He pushed away from the hyena and turned from the three Stooges.

The hyena stood and stepped with his friends, all three staring at their King with fear. They watched him sit, back to them. They wanted to flee. But then their King started talking.

"I'm dealing with morons..." Scar growled to himself. "How could I be so dumb as to expect something from..." He looked over his shoulder, his eyes cutting into the hyenas. "...Lesser creatures..." he finished, then looked ahead at nothing and continued his conversation with himself. "I need creatures of my own stature. Creatures of power, and strength!" He put a paw to his chin. "Now where oh where would I find one of those...?"

The hyenas looked behind at the Shadowlands hopefully, planning their escape inwardly.

"I got it!" cried Scar. He then began to laugh. "Lions..." he purred. He looked over his shoulder again, to the trembling hyenas. "I dont need you three." he told them sweetly, his face cracked open into a smile like a ruined jack-o-lantern.

Before they got the hint to run, Scar attacked the hyenas in quick slashes, leaping from one to the next. When the three liars died, he rose up on his hind legs, and roared...

...

Somewhere in the Shadowlands, Zira heard the roar, and was fueled to keep running. Not out of fear- oh, no, _never_ that- but in determination to win Scar's heart, before it became broken, or turned too cold to even beat...

...

Toboe and Tsume had walked aimlessly for another two hours, even though night had fallen. They had no idea where they were going. They just knew that- if Paradise was real- they would find it by themselves.

Too exsaulsted to walk on, however, they were forced to lay down in the cool grass, and sleep. By the scent on the wind, both wolves knew that they had gone beyond Kiba and the others; their scent was hardly even there anymore.

A colorful bird walked over on stilt-legs, tilting its head at the pair of wolves as they nuzzled deeper into the grass. Toboe raised his ears, eyes flicking open.

"Tsume..." he whispered.

The gray wolf, woh had nearly been alseep, opened his eyes and noticed the bird.

"What kind of bird is that?" asked the brown wolf.

"Damned if I know." snorted Tsume. "What's it matter anyway? Go to sleep."

Toboe wondered at the moment if they were at Paradise. "Are we there yet?" he wondered out loud.

"What?" snapped Tsume, jerking his head up, watching Toboe watch the bird watch them.

"What if..." Toboe said, his tail wagging slightly. "What if we're in Paradise now?"

Tsume stood up, startling the bird into flying away. "We aint in Paradise." he said sourly. "We never will be."

"How do you know?" demanded Toboe, standing as well.

"Stay down, runt!" growled Tsume, eyes narrowing. "All this talk of Paradise hurts my stomach..." he muttered, looking away. Toboe laid down slowly. "We'll never find it... because it isnt real." the gray wolf said bitterly. "Dying- the light at the end of the tunnel- that is the road to Paradise."

Toboe started to growl in protest, but Tsume snapped his jaws at his face. "Get your head out of the clouds, damn it!" the gray wolf barked. "Leaving the pack- best idea ever. We would'a never figured it out..."

"Figured what out?" muttered Toboe, feeling shy.

"...That we're dead." said Tsume.

From deep within the warmth of his heart, Toboe's flames of happiness and hope was quickly blown out...

...


End file.
